the best toys & gifts for babies!

by mari

The Top Toys list for infants and babies this christmas and holiday season

It’s that’s time everyone!  Finally, a chance to gather all of my favorite things in one fantabulously grandiose week of overabundance and cool design. I’ve been staring at all these lovely things so long that my eyes still see them when they close, and I know my dreams will be technicolor all week long (well, lucky for me they usually are!)

See ALL of the Gift Guides, and this year’s 2011 Guides in the tab above. That’s 3 years and over 200 toys and gifts for every kid and every holiday! A little hint, you might want to bookmark these for later.

The best part?! You’ll find these gifts in the BRAND NEW handy-dandy SHOP! See that tab at the top of the page? Or click here to SHOP! the babies gift guide. The SHOP! will be growing all week long!

Let’s start with gifts for babies, ages 0 – 1. This is such a lovely age because you can find lots of affordable toys, but also lots of splurges too. I’m showcasing some of each, so the newborns can benefit from softness and comfort, and the crawlers/toddlers will find their curiosity sated.

1. Tobbles Stacker, $24.95 – I’m in love with this new stacker/nester/ball toy. It’s open-ended options give lots of exploratory play for your little ones.
2. Noli Noli handmade rattles, $30 – Such beautiful handmade rattles hardly need my description, but what if I told you they also make gorgeous wooden cars, boats, and robots? Yep.
3. Natural Teething Toy, NiHaMa, $15 – When it comes to teething, you want every tool in your arsenal to help them through it. These non-toxic handmade teething toys are definitely on the list, and so pretty to give.
4. Portable iDolls, Lulu & Pax, $49.99 – These Dolls are portable MP3 speakers/holders, with built-in ports and pockets to tuck your player safely near your baby. Now they won’t need those blasted electronic toys every again. 
5. Puj Booties, $32 – Gorgeous inside and out, these booties have no right or left foot, perfect for parents on the go (and who isn’t, honestly?)
6. Kid O Tip Truck, $14.99 – The perfect modern truck, with dumptruck functionality and room for all the “debris” on your floor.
7. Noonies Baby Wrap, $62 – Such a beautiful newborn gift, these noonies will cuddle your precious cargo in softness and style.
8. Djeco Forest Animals Stacking Cubes, $22 – Stacking and nesting toys offer hours of fun, and a long life span too as kids move from one play pattern to the other. Add these illustrations and yon’t mind staring at them.

Every day this week you’ll find new gift guides: toddlers, preschoolers, kids 5+ and stocking stuffers under $25. It’s a toypalooza around here and I’m loving every minute of it! As each gift guide debuts, you can also easily access them from the “gift guides” tab at the top of the page.

9. Kid O Sort a Shape House, $20 – The perfect minimalist combination of a first-house and a shape sorter, your child can conquer both the beginnings of pretend play AND sorting.
10. Themis Mobile, $27 – For the nursery, this affordable mobile will make you the coolest gift giver ever. You can send one to me too.
11. Giraffe Grasping Toy, $9.99 – The simple structure and moving parts will keep kids so interested, I’ll bet it will live permanently in your car seat and stroller.
12. Haba Aircraft Swing, $116.99
 – The ultimate splurge, why get a plain old Johnny Jumper when you could have an airplane? Stumped you didn’t I?
13.  Nicki Baby & Cradle, $35.99 
– These diminutive first baby dolls are soft and baby-safe, with an added cradle for future play value.
14.  Uncle Goose Upper & Lowercase Alphabet Blocks, $19.99 
– The alphabet blocks redux, with bright colors and sans serif font, will keep designers and non-designers equally happy.
15.   Little Pea, Little Hoot, Little Oink Boxed Set, $19.99 
– We love reading these stories of backwards friends, the pea who hates candy for dinner but can’t wait for his spinach dessert, the owl who doesn’t want to stay up all night, and the pig who does not want to live in a pig sty, but prefers to clean.
16. Moulin Roty Circus Stack Up Toy, $45.99 – Beautiful toys that do double-duty are always tops, and this Stacking, Sorting, “beading, wooden pull toy is no exception.
17. Musical Plush Toy, Aldo, $42 – This charming dog reminds me of sweet yesteryear circus illustrations, and will be a lovely crib-side heirloom to keep for always.
18. Little Alouette Rocking Horse, $220 – What better small child splurge than a rocking horse? Especially when it’s handmade, modern in design, and quite simply adorable?

Happy Holidays everyone! What’s on your wishlists this year? Share some more great finds in the comments!

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Kristine November 28, 2011 at 9:12 am

My 2YO received stacking blocks last year for Christmas – huge hit! He also got that exact shape sorter house and is still playing with it a year later (yesterday, in fact).

That airplane swing is so cute! Can’t wait to see what you have in store for toddlers & kids…

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2 Miz Big November 28, 2011 at 6:22 pm

Stacking blocks are so so important are they? They can be so many things at every age and stage. Good to know the shape sorter is a hit, it’s just so pretty.

Oh I’ve got LOTS more in store, you just wait!

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3 Anna November 28, 2011 at 1:23 pm

Great post! I love all of the items you chose for the gift list. Can I ask for a request? I’m looking for a “big sister” gift and can’t find anything that’s cute and modern. The only things I’ve see online are “big sister” t-shirts and books. Do you have any gift picks for a soon-to-be big sister? She’s 3 years old and her little sister is due in December. Thank you Mari!

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